High Country News - Current Issue
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A fresh take on an old crime: A review of The Case of D.B. Cooper's Parachute
Novelist William L. Sullivan re-opens the case of Dan Cooper, the parachuting plane hijacker
by Melissa Hart, Apr 15, 2013 -
Federal austerity hits home in the West
Is smaller government as desirable in practice as theory?
by Cally Carswell, Apr 15, 2013 -
On losing nothing
Climate change will transform both the Arctic and the Mojave Desert, but for different reasons
by Sarah Gilman, Apr 15, 2013 -
Waiting with bated breath
HCN is nominated for an Utne Independent Media award; some of the magazine's contributors are nominated for other honors; corrections
by Jodi Peterson, Apr 15, 2013 -
How the amount of fish you eat impacts water quality
Idaho is updating its standards for water pollutants based on how much fish residents eat.
by Sarah Jane Keller, Apr 15, 2013 -
Strolling San Francisco with a special guidebook to street trees
“The Trees of San Francisco” walks you through a unique urban forest that has hundreds of species from around the world.
by Leath Tonino, Mar 29, 2013 -
Volunteering provides a special experience in national parks
Retirees and interns donate millions of hours in national parks, and get to know the parks intimately.
by Henry Ring, Mar 27, 2013 -
Secret getaways of the National Landscape Conservation System
A desert hiker finds a lot to like in little-known Bureau of Land Management gems.
by Craig Childs, Mar 25, 2013 -
A photographic journey through Montana’s vanished towns
When a state tries to erase towns from the official highway map, a lot is at stake.
by Jeremy Lurgio, Mar 22, 2013 -
Tribal casinos expand and go upscale
To attract more customers and revenue, many Western tribal casinos are adding resort hotels, golf, spas and fancy restaurants.
by Jason Begay, Mar 18, 2013 -
Field notes from a solo paddle in Alaska’s Inside Passage
A journalism professor kayaks alone for nearly 1,000 miles, dealing with difficult seas, icebergs, orcas and bears.
by Nadia White, Mar 18, 2013 -
Visitors to public lands seek different experiences than in the past
With demographic shifts, trendy activities like wildlife viewing and kayaking are increasing faster than traditional activities like hunting and backpacking.
by Sarah Jane Keller, Mar 18, 2013 -
Travel, HCN-style
Editor’s note for HCN’s second annual special issue on travel in the West describes some quirky personal trips.
by Ray Ring, Mar 18, 2013 -
HCN takes a break
The next issue of HCN will be out April 15; reprint of corrected mountain lion deaths chart
by Jodi Peterson, Mar 18, 2013 -
Westerners love erotic landscapes
The Western landscape is full of arousing features.
by Stephen Lyons, Mar 18, 2013 -
Kids in the backcountry: The earlier, the better
A father understands what’s gained by taking his kids deep into the backcountry again and again as they’re growing up.
by Alan Kesselheim, Mar 18, 2013 -
(Manmade) snow is for fighting over
In an increasingly arid West, snow-making becomes a more important component of a ski area’s operating plan. But they need water to make snow, and getting it isn’t always easy.
by J.R. Logan, Mar 04, 2013 -
'We Don’t Give a Damn How They Do It Outside'
An Alaska native struggles to "blend in" in the Lower 48.
by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock , Mar 04, 2013 -
Lake Mead's retreat leaves Nevada ghost town high and dry
The residents of St. Thomas were forced to leave their homes behind when Lake Mead submerged their town. But after decades under water, drought has brought it back to the surface.
by Kate Shaw, Mar 04, 2013 -
Global warming's reluctant poster child
The ski industry, for whom bad press means all the difference between a banner year and a bust, tries to manage public perception of climate change's impact on snowfall and resort conditions.
by Greg Hanscom, Mar 04, 2013
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